The women I set free are obsessed with me

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This was the beginning of true nurturing. Or rather, parenting might be a more fitting expression.

Bathing her.

Teaching her to talk.

Even having to spoon-feed her.

She was constantly looking for chances to escape, and at times even seemed to be after my life. There couldn't be a more precious little troublemaker.

But was it hard?

Absolutely not.

After all, foxes were cute, and when something's cute, you could forgive anything. I now understood why doting fathers existed.

"Kyun!"

Rin barked.

Living together, I'd come to roughly understand her different types of noises. This one meant she wanted food.

"No. You just ate, didn't you?"

"Kyaaang!"

"No means no. I'm not planning to raise a pig."

"Hmph!"

Seeing that I wouldn't give her food, Rin snorted as if she had no more business with me and curled up into a ball. Whether I looked at her or not, she began grooming herself, licking her tail with her tongue.

Rin pretended to listen only when it was time to eat, but once she was full and comfortable, she acted like we were strangers.

What a sly little fox.

I had expected this to some extent, but even accounting for that, it was quite vexing. There were times I almost gave her a knock on the head.

But I must endure.

If I resorted to violence here, any chance of improving our relationship would end instantly. But leaving her be felt wasteful considering all the money I'd invested in food, so I enacted my own form of revenge.

"Kyun?"

I picked up Rin, who had been curled up on the floor, and sat her on the bed. Hugging her from behind like a back hug, I buried my nose in her fluffy, cushion-like tail.

"Sniff, ahh… What an insane scent."

The concentrated, rich body odor in her tail.

Was this what cocaine felt like? The addiction went crazy. I inhaled the scent like a vacuum cleaner trying to suck up everything.

"Kyaaang!"

Rin panicked.

She tried to make an emergency escape, but it was futile. My arms and legs were wrapped around her body like an octopus.

Accept your punishment for baring your teeth at your master.

Tail trembling.

Cheeks squishy-squishy.

"G-Grugh…!"

Tiny paws, soft and tender.

Fingers slipping between her toes.

Rin took the only defiant action she could manage while struggling in my arms.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaang!"

Not a chance.

UWOOOGH.1

***

Ah, even forced playtime is tiring.

After playing with Rin for a while, I left the inn to take care of other business.

There needed to be at least a minimal amount of personal will, even for tasks that must be done. That's how you maintain job satisfaction.

People had no idea how draining it was to tackle work solely out of duty, devoid of any personal investment. Playing with Rin felt exactly like that.

Sigh, I should make a list of things to do later.

Touching her side fat and calf muscles… blowing into her stomach.

Since it was work, I should be thorough. Yep.

"Oh, human lad. You've come again today?"

I stopped by the market.

It was a fish shop run by a bear beastkin. I came to buy fish for the cat people.

"Haha, yes, I'm here again today."

"I've piled up the fish in that bucket over there. Since you buy so much, I'll give you a discount. Just 10 silver will do."

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks. It's for the cat people, right?"

Even the bear lady knew.

Feeding the cats had made me a famous cat mom in Vestia.

"That's right. Is it a bit much?"

"I don't mind. Those guys used to steal like stray cats, but now that you're buying them with money, I've got a stable income. I won't need to prepare separately for this winter."

Is she going into hibernation or something?

At this point, I wondered if she was more of a talking circus bear than a beastkin.

"Lad, why don't you just settle down in Vestia?"

"Unfortunately, I have a lot to do. Until I depart though, I will buy a lot."

After telling the lady I'd be back tomorrow, I picked up the bucket. A bucket of fresh, flopping fish. I headed towards the alley where the cat people would be.

They were lined up in the alley. Though I hadn't said anything, after a few days, they just knew.

"Dickman! You're late today, nya!"

"That's how it turned out, Mr. Dick Cat. By the way, there are more people today than yesterday."

The line along the alley stretched all the way to the corner. There must be at least 30 of them.

"Word spread that a human was giving out fish for free, nya."

Everything was going according to plan.

I smiled kindly at them.

"Welcome, everyone. If you make a contract with me, the fish is free."

***

Today was another successful day in raising the cat people's affection.

If I ran a shop, I'd bring them in for cat massage services. It's a shame, I could have been duplicating money.

"Buy a newspaper! News from the Vestia Kingdom to the Traul Kingdom!"

There was a dog beastkin promoting newspapers, peeking at passersby. She had white hair and pink-dyed tails on both sides…

"Poppy?"

"Huh? How do you know my name… Do you know me?"

I thought it might be, but to think it really was Poppy.

As expected of a Korean game.

"Poppy, you're so famous in human society. Everyone knows you."

"I-I'm that famous?"

Poppy made an expression of disbelief, but this was the absolute truth. Just hearing the name Poppy, don't you get an idea of what she looks like?

If you're thinking of a yordle with a hammer… My condolences.

"Poppy, I'll buy one copy."

"Ah, yes! That'll be 30 copper!"

"I don't carry copper. Keep the change. Buy yourself some dog treats."

I gave her a silver coin, which she stared blankly at.

"Th-Thank you, sir! Bless you!"

"Haha, it's nothing. Poppy, be careful on dog days."2

After exchanging warm greetings with Poppy, I sat on a nearby bench and opened the newspaper.

The headline article:

—Young Lady Panda Fubao of the Unseol Clan. Strategic Marriage with the Barenhar Family of the Traul Kingdom for Friendship.

As she left her domain, Fubao cried out heartrendingly, "I am the precious jewel of the Unseol Clan!" The tears shed by her people, utterly moved by her noble sacrifice, created a river…

"Hmm."

A strategic marriage between a Traul Kingdom noble and a Vestia noble.

It was only surprising because it was between a human and a beastkin, but it wasn't particularly novel. Forming friendships with other kingdoms was quite common after all.

Next.

—Great Forest Elves Entering Society?

Recently, elves from the Great Forest, especially young elf maidens in the flower of their youth, have been unveiling themselves and making appearances. It's been reported that these elves are serving humans in taverns, causing a great shock to the world…

What?

Elves were working in taverns?

Who on earth…

Who came up with such a groundbreaking idea?!

Elves dressing up neatly and serving, pouring drinks—it was easy money. Whoever came up with this idea was brilliant.

But why are elves working in taverns?

Not just any race, but elves, and serving humans at that. Considering their race superiority complex and pride, they were absolutely not the type to do this willingly.

I had no idea what wind of change had blown.

There was more to the article, so I continued reading.

A merchant group that appeared like a comet, led by elves. Its name is the Merchants of Death.

Death again?

Whoever named this had terrible naming sense. It was these little things that foreshadowed future potential, and they just named it carelessly like this.

They were doomed from the start.

While some are running around desperately finding slaves, others are making money easily.

Just go bankrupt already.

With no more interesting articles, I folded the newspaper. Time to go blow on Rin's belly.

Rumble…

Thunder rolled.

I gazed up at the sky and saw dark clouds gathering in the distance.

Looks like it's going to rain.

***

As rain and wind lashed against the window, lightning flashed and thunder rolled throughout the night.

When Karami asked, Are you scared of thunder? Want to sleep together with Master? Rin snorted "Hmph!" and lay down in a corner of the room.

There was a chain around her ankle that Karami had found. It was slightly loose and wrapped in fur so it wouldn't hurt.

Rin curled her long, fluffy tail into a circle to use as both blanket and pillow. From above, it formed a perfect circle.

"Uwaaaah."

This sleeping place was a world apart from the one she'd known all her life. Everything around her felt alien, unfamiliar. It would have been no surprise if sleep eluded her entirely.

But her belly was filled with delicious food she had never tasted before.

The fox beastkins had made her sleep in a corner outside the village, claiming misfortune would spread.

Even then, she had to stay alert even in the middle of sleep, ready to leap up and flee at a moment's notice if a yokai approached.

Having lived in such an environment, Rin found it easier to sleep now that her surroundings had changed.

"…"

Rin stared at Karami sleeping on the bed.

She didn't understand why Karami was being nice to her. She was grateful for the delicious food, but Rin didn't blindly trust him.

Just as humans teach children, 'Don't go with strangers', the fox spirits taught young foxes, 'Humans capture beastkin and skin them alive.'

Though she had never been directly taught, Rin had overheard such lessons passed down from generation to generation. Even with her young mental age, it was only natural for the idea that humans are dangerous to be deeply ingrained in her mind.

Which meant Karami must have some ulterior motive too. Even if that wasn't the case, when disaster struck, he would inevitably cast her aside and drive her out too.

But Rin didn't mind. It was her fault for being born with pink fur.

She only thought about eating lots of delicious food until she was driven out.

What delicious thing would she eat tomorrow?

She hoped to eat meat again.

With a small wish to dream of eating meat, Rin closed her eyes.

Whoosh…

The wind blew in.

A chilling, creepy wind.

It was strange. Surely all the doors were closed, so there shouldn't be any gaps for wind to enter. Rin opened her eyes in confusion.

"Kyun…?"

The air in the room had changed eerily.

Before her eyes, space itself seemed to warp and twist, as if gripped by an invisible force. An infinitely cold indigo haze swirled in a reverse spiral, distorting reality.

From the deep, impenetrable darkness, a lone silhouette emerged.

A body without a clear form, like mist.

A great scythe gripped by skeletal hands.

An ominous indigo aura spreading in the darkness.

It wasn't clearly visible in the dark room, but…

FLASH!

When lightning struck, its form was briefly visible. Though it was just for an instant, Rin captured it clearly in her eyes.

The Grim Reaper.

It was Death itself.

Beneath the hood's shadow, an indigo glow flared in the skull's empty eye sockets.